Disclaimer: This fanfic is a crossover featuring Ranma ½ (Property of Rumiko Takahashi) and The Never-ending story (Property of Michael Ende), none of the characters here (unless stated) are of my own creation.
This story takes place in an alternative universe
I have changed around stories and some other things as well, as curses.
I am using both the Never-ending story and the characters from the series Ranma ½ without permission from their respective authors.
This is my first attempt of doing a fanfic, so please forgive me if you don't like it.
C & C are welcome, please don't sue me, I'm just a student with a little too much imagination in my hands.
Words inside * * are thoughts, words inside are signs, words inside # # are animal speech and words inside { } are foreign language. Any writing inside / / are comments, actions and thoughts from the person reading the book.
Please read and review
LadyCrow
Chapter 1: The book and the forest.
There are many bookstores in Tokyo, most have been forgotten in this age of video games and computers; still they are there, waiting for someone to open the door and discover what treasures they hide.
We now focus on the little bookstore pressed in between two large skyscrapers, a little building forgotten by progress. The words "Dreamland Bookstore" written carefully on the door with beautiful characters wasn't enough to attract any customers. The shop was empty.
Suddenly the door was violently torn open by a chubby japanese boy; he dived behind one of the shelves and hid. Few seconds after he entered a gang of boys ran past the store. –He went this way!!- one of them yelled.
The boy stayed hidden until the sound of steps and yelling faded away into the distance, only then he managed to stop trembling and look into the store itself.
There were mountains of books, all kind of books.
A faint light glowed from the back of the store and a voice suddenly barked –If you are looking for the comic shop it's on the other corner, I don't have any comics here- The boy followed the voice and found a old man reading in a large book with silver coloured covers.
The man lifted his head –Are you deaf boy? I said there were no comics here.-
The boy slowly approached the man – I'm not looking for comics, I just needed a place to hide from the gang that wanted to beat me up.- he looked embarrassed.
The man closed the book and looked at the boy. – What's your name boy?- - Ranma Saotome- the boy stated. –Saotome eh?- The man stated. –My name is unimportant, so don't ask, you may call me Happi-san. – He leaned back and smoked his pipe a bit. –Why don't you fight the boys that want to beat you up?-
Ranma looked at the floor -I'm not good at fighting Happi-san- he said.
The man looked suprised. – No? Then you should run away from them, not just hide- - I'm not good at running either.- Ranma said. The man frowned. – Swimming then?.-
Ranma just shaked his head –I'm not good at any sport.- -I see.- said the old man –But then you have to be some kind of genius at school, and a ladies man I bet.- he winked.
Ranma looked very uneasy. –No, I have the worst grades in my class and the girls don't like me at all.- The old man threw his hands up in the air – So you are a complete disappointment, how ashamed your father must be.-
Ranma shaked his head –My dad doesn't notice, he is too busy training. He is a martial artist you see.-
The old man nodded and opened the book. –Well, I'm sorry for you but there isn't anything I can do for you.-
Ranma looked at the book –What is it about?-
The old man looked at Ranma and frowned, closing the book. –This book is not for you, besides what do you understand about books.-
Ranma felt uneasy and looked at the floor. -I love to read, I can spend the whole day reading, it makes me feel like I was...- - Someone else?- The old man completed.
–Yes, how did you know?- Ranma asked, a puzzled look on his face.
The old man started laughing –I know because that is the main reason people read books, to escape from reality. Here. - The man gave him the book he had been reading. -. Maybe this will help you, but you be careful, maybe you won't find what you were expecting. -
Ranma looked at the book and smiled, the title read "The Never-ending Dream", and there was a golden Ying-yang symbol on the cover. –Thank you Happi-san, I will take good care of this book, I promise.-
Without even letting the old man reply Ranma ran out of the store and down the streets heading for his home.
He reached the humble house he shared with his father and mother, Genma and Nodoka.
-I am home. - No one answered.
He went to the training hall and found his father going through a complicated kata. –Pop I'm home I said.- Genma barely looked at his son. –Your mother is out shopping, there are some ramen on the table.- He continued his kata –Now leave me alone, I need to concentrate and I cant do it with my fiasco of a son staring at me.- Genma turned his back on Ranma and started to do a serie of complex moves.
Ranma felt very hurt but didn't show it as he headed for the kitchen.
Walking into his room with the bowl of ramen in one hand and the book under one arm Ranma remembered every sad episode of his life; the time his father wanted to take him on a training trip and he was so scared he hid behind his mother; the time his father tried to introduce him to the daughter of his best friend, Soun Tendo, and the girl simply laughed at him.
-I guess I am a fiasco- he sighed and felt tear burn in his eyes.
Looking down at the bowl of ramen he took a desition, if his father was so disappointed of him he would leave his house and never come back, after all that would keep shame from falling upon his family.
Ranma then remembered his mother and gulped *Mom will be very sad.* Shaking his head he put down the bowl of ramen his mother had so carefully prepared for him. *No, she would be happy to get rid of a son like me, I'm not worthy of having such a loving mother.*
Having taken his desition Ranma packed a large knapsack with a few things, and among them the book the old man gave him.
He wrote a note to his mother and left it on the table, it said:
"Dear mom:
I know you and my father are ashamed of me, that you both wish I were a better son and a worthy heir to dad's Anything-goes martial arts school.
I am aware that I disappointed both of you, when father's friend Mr Tendou called off the engagement they have agreed on before I was born, saying I wasn't good enough martial artist.
I will lift the burden of my presence from you and leave seeking my destiny.
Maybe one day, if I feel myself worthy of such happiness, I will return.
I love you mother.
Your son
Ranma Saotome."
Ranma had to wipe a stray tear away from his eye as he closed the door to his home and headed for the forest in the outsides of Tokyo.
Many hours later Ranma found himself completely lost in the forest, it was getting late and he decided to lift camp under a large tree, making a small fire he heated some water and boiled some eggs,. Wishing he had learned to cook. His mother had been trying to teach him, but he had given up after putting the rice on fire for the 4th time, he ate his eggs slightly raw with salt, not a filling meal, but better than nothing.
Lying down on his sleeping bag he remembered the book the old man had given him. *Maybe now would be the time to read it.*
Ranma smiled to himself as he opened the book and found a large print on the first page. The print was beautiful, it represented a boy with strong features and dark blue eyes, his hair was jet black and he was wearing what looked a lot like a Chinese shirt.
Ranma blinked as he saw something else on the print. Behind the boy, barely visible, there was a girl, glowing red hair and big blue eyes combined perfectly with her sweet features, so similar to the ones of the boy. Both the boy and girl had their hair tied into a pigtail. Ranma shrugged * I suppose they are brother and sister.*
Passing the first page he found another print, this one was of a handsome boy, his black hair was kept back by a yellow and black bandanna and the tip of a fang could be seen in his smile. There was something strangely sad about the print, almost if the boy was surrounded by an aura of depression.
Just like the other print this one had a faint drawing behind the boy, but this time it was of something that looked a lot like a wolf.
The third page had a large print of three girls The one that looked oldest had a face that was glowing with beauty and kindness, but with an absent look in her eyes. Long light brown hair was tied back with what looked like mist.
The second girl had a cold look on her face and was holding what seemed like a pouch of money in one of her hands. She had short dark hair that looked almost as hard and shining as a piece of metal.
Ranma looked at the two girls but then his attention was drawn to the third girl, frowning he noticed that the artist had divided her face in two different halves. One half had a sweet and loving expression , but the other half was a mask of fury and almost insane rage. In one of her hands she held a winged heart and in the other she held a.... mallet? *Why a mallet?* Ranma wondered.
Passing to the last of the illustrated pages he found himself confronted with the cute face of a girl with long brown hair, her eyes were two pools seemingly filled with devotion and something else, it looked like sadness, not too different from the boy with bandanna.
In her hands there were several small metal pieces that looked a lot like spatulas, and behind her was the faint drawing of a raven.
Ranma passes to the next page and found the headline of the first chapter, he started reading as the first star lit up the night sky...